Apparatus for making lead pipes



Dec. 6, 1.924. 1,519,724

. F. B. EWELL APPARATUS FOR MAKING LEAD PIPES Filed Dec. 22, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Dec. 6," 1924. 1,519,724

F. B. EWELL APPARATUS FORMAKING LEAD PIPES Filed Dec. 22, 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOI TvankB.Ewe\\ ATTORNEY 15519,?24 F. B. EWELL APPARATUS FOR MAKING LEAD PIPES Filed Dec. 1922 S Sheets-Sheet 3 65 56 as 64 7 72. as e9 4-A 79 66 6g 6 5 e/ 80 I 7 o 5 I as 1 2, III 95 86 Q4 7 INVENTOR Tram k B. Ewe

9* BY {W ATTORN EY Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRANK B. EWELL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING LEAD PIPES.

Application fil ed December 22,- 1922. Serial No. 608,584;

To all whom it may concern: p M

Be it known that I, FRANK B. EWELL, a. citizen of the United States, resldlng at Rochester, in the county of lVIonroe and press and other apparatus for simultaneously making three separate lengths of lead pipe.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the lead press and other apparatus illustrated in elevation in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of one of the winding machines used in conjunction with the. lead press to produce three lengths of lead pipe during one operation of the lead press.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the winding apparatus illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the locking mechanisms embodied in the winding apparatus.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the controlling mechanism for operating'the'winding mechanism as it will appear when viewed from the left in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a similar view of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 6 viewed from the right in Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view of the guide block for guiding the lead pipe to the winding apparatus.

In the several figures of the drawings, like reference numerals indicate like parts.

The method for making lead pipe most commonly practised at the present time is to use a lead press having a lead cylinder mounted on the piston of the press to move therewith. lVhen the piston is at the bottom of the stroke the cylinder is filled with melted lead. -Gentrally in the lead cylinder is mounted a long core, which come is fastened in the bottom' of the cylinder. Above the cylinder is mounted a stationary hollow plunger on which the stationary die is carried with which the moving core cooperates to form the pipe lVhen the lead cylinder is raised the plunger is in eifect forced into the lead cylinder with the core carried in the lead cylinder passing centrally through'the die and the plunger. The lead troi'n the lead cylinder is thus forced out through the stationary die around the moving core to form a continuous lead pipe that passes up through the hollow plunger and out through the top of the lead press. This method permits the making of but one continuous length of pipe during the operation of the lead press.

With the method and apparatus forming my present invention I use a stationary die and cores which enable me to make three continuous lengths of lead pipe during each stroke of the lead press.

For this purpose I employ a lead press 1 having a triple die 2 mounted therein which die is adapted tom'ake simultaneously three continuous pipes. The press and die are supplemented by three sets'of winding'apparatus 3 each of which is adapted to receive and wind thereon one of the three lengths of lead pipe formed by the die and the press. This apparatus winds each pipe up on a separate reel as fast as the pipe is made by the press.

The triple die is mounted in the lower end of the hollow stationary plunger 6 being suitably held in place therein,

The ope'ration'o'f the presswith the triple die is as follows:

The leadfc'ylinder isfilled with the molten lead which is then allowed to cool to the proper temperature. hen cooled 0E to the right temperature the press is set in operation by forcing the lead cylinder up wardly to make the plunger (5 with the triple die 2 enter the open end of the cylin-der. As the lead cylinder continues to rise the plunger is forced into it so that the lead from the cylinder is forced to flow up through the die 2. This causes the die tofor'in three lead pipes or tubes of indefinite length. The lead pipes thus formed pass on up through the die and after reaching the top of the press the three continuous pipes thus made are guided to one side thereof to the automatic winding apparatus that will now be described.

The winding mechanism comprises three sets of apparatus that are identical with each other and for the purpose of describing the mechanism the description of one will serve for the description of all of them.

As illustrated in Figure 1, each set of winding apparatus is mounted on a separate table 50 supported by legs 51, 51. The legs 51 are mounted on casters 552 52 so that the winding apparatus can be shifted to the most practical and convenient point from the lead press 1. I

The winding apparatus proper comprises the uprights 54 and 55 which when mounted on the table 50 forms a suitable frame work on which the mechanism of the windingv apparatus is mounted. This mechanism comprises the power shaft 56 for which the bearing 56 is provided in the upright This power shaft is driven by the sprocket wheel 57 through a suitable friction clutch 58. The sprocket wheel 57 in turn is driven by the sprocket chain 59 and a suitable train of gearing from the electric motor 60.

-On the inner end of the power shaft 56 is carried. a disk 61 between which and a similar disk 62 is supported the spool 63. The disk 62 is carried on the inner end of the idle shaft 64; mounted in the bearing 65 on the. upright 55. An expansion spring 66 is interposed between the bearing 65 and the disk 62 in contact with the end of the spool 63. On the outer end of the shaft 6a is mounted the collar 67. The lever 68 pivoted on the side of the upright 55 is adapted to pass over the shaft 64 behind the collar 67 so that on the outward swing of the lever or arm 68 the shaft 64 with the disk 62 is pulled away from the spool 63 for the purpose of disengaging the spool from the winding apparatus. The shaft 6+ is hollow and has at one end thereof the pressure pipe 69 attached thereto by a swivel joint 6 1 Air under pressure passes through the pipe 69 into the hollow shaft 64 and through the pipe 70 leading out from the other end of the hollow shaft. The beginning of the lead pipe to be wound on the spool 63 .and formed by the lead press is attached to. the pipe 70 by means of a suitable air. tight coupling 71 so that air pressure is maintained at all timesin the lead pipe while it is being wound on the spool 63. A pressure gauge 72 is attached to the pipe 69 so that the pressure of the air in the lead pipe can be observed atall times.

The purpose of maintaining an air pressure in the lead pipe as it is being wound on a spool is to test the lead pipe for leaks as fast as the pipe is being made. Should a leak occur in the lead pipe air will escape through it as soon as it leaves the lead press. This leakage will be instantly noticed by the attendant, not only by the drop in the pressure of the air as shown by the pressure gauge 72 but also by the hissing sound of the air escaping through the leak. This enables the attendant to locate the exact spot of the hole in the pipe, upon which the leaky portion of the pipe is cut out, after which the ends of the pipe are joined together by an air tight coupling in the form of a short rubber tube in order to again form a continuous pipe in which air pressure can be maintained until another leak is formed during the making of the lead pipe. In this way all of the piping wound on the spool is automatically tested while it is being wound up thereon and can be guaranteed to be without holes.

The winding of the lead pipe onto the spool 63 is controlled by a mechanism which in turn is controlled by the rate of speed with. which the pipe is being made by the lead press. The winding mechanism proper comprises a guide member that is auto matically moved back and forth in front of the spool 63 and along its axis in order to guide the lead pipe to the spool and distribute it thereon in uniform layers.

' This mechanism comprises the lead screw 73 mounted to rotate in suitable bearings between the uprights 54 and 55. Near the left hand end as illustrated in Figure 3 the lead screw carries the clutch member 74. This clutch member comprises a pair of bevel gears 75 and 76 that are suitably fastened together with a circular groove between them into which the shifting or clutch arm 77 is adapted to engage. The bevel gears 75 and 76 are adapted to alternately mesh with the bevel pinion 78 carried on the ack shaft 79. The shaft 79 ismounted to rotate in the bearing 80 formed on the bracket 81 and supported by the upright 54-. The rear end of the shaft 79 has another bevel. pinion 82 keyed thereto to: mesh with the bevel pinion 83 carried on the power slraft 56. The. train of bevel gearing made up of the bevel pinions, 83, 82 and 78 including those of the clutch member 74L thus rotate the lead screw 73 on the rotation of the power shaft 56.

The direction in which the lead screw is rotated depends on whether the bevel pinion 75 or the. bevel pinion 76 of the clutch 7a meshes with the bevel pinion 78. This is changed by shifting the clutch 74 by means of the arm 77 This arm is carried on the sliding shaft 84. The shaft 84 is mounted to slide in suitable bearings and carries on .the inner endthereof a pair of collars 85 and 86. A finger 87 engages the shaft 84 between the collars and 86 with a pair of springs 88 and 89 interposed between the collars and the finger, one on each side thereof in order to yieldingly hold the finger, in an intermediate position between these two collars and springs.

The finger 87 is mounted on a second sliding shaft 90. This second shaft is mounted to slide in suitable bearings provided in each of the uprights 5 1 and 55. On the sliding shaft 90 are also carried a pair of stops in the form of split collars 91 and 92. These stops are clamped to the shaft 90 at predetermined points as will hereinafter be described.

Mounted to slide on the lead screw 73 is a guide mechanism that will now be described. This mechanism. comprises the bearing member 93 which surrounds the lead screw and carries the spring pressed finger 94. This finger is mounted in a vertical sleeve 95 formed. in the bearing member 98. The pin 94 has a collar 96 formed thereon between which and the shoulder 97 formed in the sleeve 95 is interposed the spring 97- that normally forces the lower end of the linger 94- into engagement with the lead screw 73 and holds it there. Supported by the bearing member 93 and projecting upwardly therefrom is the standard 98. This standard has a pair of grooved idle pulleys 99 and 100 mounted on one side thereof one on top of the other so as to form a cylindrical opening between them through which the lead pipe passes to the spool 63.

On the other side of the standard 98 is carried a swinging arm 101. This arm is pivoted at 101 and the lower end thereof carries the guide block 102. This guide block is made up in two sections 104 and 105. The sections interlock with each other in the middle and are held together by means of a pair of screws 106 and 107. By means of these screws the sections of the guide block 102 can be separated or moved together so that the opening through the block can. be adjusted to the size of the lead pipe that is to pass therethrough. The guide block is swiveled in the cradle 106 between twobearing points of which one is adjustable being formed on the end of the set screw 107".

The opening through the guide block 102 is in line with the grooves in the pulleys 9i) and 1.00, and the lead pipe made by the lead press passes first through the guide block and then onto and between the pulleys to the spool 68.

The bearing block 98 has an arm 108 projecting rearwardly therefrom with a hole formed in the end of it. The sliding shaft 90 passes through this hole to permit the end of the arm to keep in engagement with and slide along the shaft 90. he stops formed by the split collars 91 and 92 are clamped at predetermined points on the slid ing shaft on either side of the arm 108. As the end of the arm is mounted to slide on the shaft 90 the position thereof is not changed by the arm except when one of the stops 91 or 92 is encountered by the arm. These stops are spaced on the shaft 90 according to the length of the spool on which the lead pipe is being wound. In this way the arm of the guide block makes contact with either one or the other of the stops and shifts the sliding shaft 90 at the end of each layer of lead pipe wound on the spool.

The shifting of the sliding shaft 90 regulates the movement of the guide block so that the lead pipe is evenly wound on the spool in single layers. This is done as follows:

When the arm 108 makes contact with the stop 91 it forces it to the left and with it the sliding shaft 90 to which it-is clamped. its previously pointed out the finger 87 is mounted on the sliding shaft 90 so that on the movement of the shaft to the left this linger shifts the sliding shaft 8% through the spring 88 and collar 85 to the left. The clutch arm 77 carried on the sliding shaft 8+ is thus made to shift the clutch 74. to the left to disengage the bevel pinion 75 from the bevel pinion 78 and engages the bevel pinion 76 with the bevel pinion 7 8. This reverses the rotation of the lead screw TE} and makes the guide block move from the left to the right in Figure 3 to guide the lead pipe back over the layer of pipe wound on the spool while the guide block has been moving to the left The same thing l'iappens when the guide block arm 108 makes contact with the stop 02 except that the sliding shaft is then moved to the right and with it in the same direction the sliding shaft 8%. This then shifts the clutch 7% so that the rotation of the lead screw is again reversed and the guide bloc-k moved back from the right to the left in Figure 3.

In order to keep the clutch in engagement at the end of the movement of the sliding shaft a locking mechanism is provided. This locking mechanism comprises a pair of collars 109 and 110 which are keyed to the sliding shaft 84 on each side of the clutch arm 77. Above these collars are suitably pivoted the dogs 111 and 112 respectively. Each of these dogs has a rigid arm 113 projecting to one side thereof over the sliding shaft 90. Each of the arms 113 has a spring 11% attached to it to normally hold it down in its lowermost position. In this position the outer end of the arm projects into the path of one of the cams 115 and 110. hen. therefore, the sliding shaft 90 is shifted by the movement of the guide block as above pointed out the cams 115 and 116 are moved with it. During this movement of these cams 115 and 116 one of the arms 118 carried by one of the dogs is forced up on the inclined face of one of the cams while the outer arm 113 carried by the other dog is allowed to ride down on the inclined cam face of the other cam.

As the sliding shaft 84 moves with the sliding shaft 90 the collars 109 and 110 are shifted with the shaft 8e and the cams 115 and 116 with the shaft 90. Thedogs 111 and 112 with their arms 11.3 are so arranged that when one of them will engage behind one of the collars 109 and 110 the other dog will be moved out of engagement with the other collar at the end of the sliding move ment of the sliding shaft 84 and thus hold both this sliding shaft and the clutch arm 77 in a locked position the end of each movement, while the guide block guides each layer of lead pipe onto the spool 63.

The lead pipe as it leaves the lead press 1 is guided over a large spool 117 from which it passes onto the guide block 102 and between the grooved pulleys 99 and 100 to the spool 63. As the guide block 102 is carried on the pivoted arm 1.01 the weight of the lead pipe normally holds this lever in the acute angular position illustrated in full lines in Figures 1, 6 and T. In this position the pin 118 carried on the outer end of the lever 101 rests against the under side of the balancing platform 119. This platform comprises a short length of angle iron that is pivoted to the upper end of the upright or standard 98. The pin 11S normally engages the platform near the left hand end thereof while another pin 120 also carried by the lever or arm 1.01 is adapted to make contact wit-h the right hand end of the platform as illustrated in Figure 6. The pin. 120 is yieldingly held in place on the arm 101. It passes through an opening in the lever at 121 and its lower end is threaded to receive the lock nut 122. Near the top the pin has a. small cross pin 123 projecting from two sides thereof to form a shoulder between which and the shoulder 124 formed on the lever 101 on expansion spring 124 is held in place. The expansion of the spring normally holds the pin with the lock nut 122 resting on the under side of the lever or arm 1 01. The position of this nut on the pin thus determines the distance the pin projects above the lever arm. This adjustment of the height of the pin 120 is for a purpose that will presently appear.

On top of the platform 119 is carried a pair of clips 126 and 127 between which the glass tube" 128 is mounted. This glass tube has a pair of contact points mounted in one end thereof and contains a small quantity of mercury with which the distance between these two contact points can be bridged on the inside of the tube so that an electric circuit having the two contact points in series with each other can be opened and broken by tilting the glass tube 128 to make the mercury contained therein flow toward or away from the contact points within the tube. This happens when the platform 119 is tilted by the pins 118 and 120 carried on the arm 101. This forms a switch that is used to start and stop the motor 60 of the winding apparatus and is, therefore, electrically connected with this motor. As heretofore pointed out the lead pipe passes from the lead press to the winding appara tus so that the weight thereof holds the arm 101 of the winding apparatus in the full line position illustrated in Figures 1 and 6. In this position. the pin 118 makes contact with the left hand end of the platform and tilts it so that the mercury in the tube connects the two contact points in the end of the tube. The motor circuit is thus closed so that the motor operates to drive the winding apparatus and operates to wind up the lead pipe on the spool 63. The feeding of the lead pipe from the lead press is not uniform as it depends on the temperature at which the lead pipe is formed in the press. The lead pipe made by one of the dies in the triple die may feed out of the press alittle faster than the lead pipe formed in the other twodies. For this reason each winding apparatus is driven at a speed faster than the feed of the lead pipe from the press. This in turn makes it necessary to run each of the winding apparatuses intermittenly, that is, wind up a certain. length of pipe then stop the winding apparatus until more pipe has been made by the press.

This stopping and starting of the winding apparatus is regulated by the switch here tofiore described. Thus gwhen the pipe hangs between the lead press and the winding apparatus as illustrated in full lines in Figure 1 the weight of the pipe holds the connection in the switch closed and keeps the motor of the apparatus running until a certain amount of the slack in the pipe is taken the limits being shown by the full and dotted line position of the span of pipe shown in Figure 1. In the dotted line position the arm 101 has been raised until the pin 120 makes contact with the under side of the platform and in so doing tilts the glass tube so that the mercury contained therein breaks the connection between the contact and stops the motor. This of course stops the winding apparatus again until enough pipe has been fed from the press to make it sag and move the lever or arm 101. to its original or starting position in which it tilts the platform 119 back so that the mercury in the glass tube will again close the motor circuit and start the winding apparatus and wind up more of the lead pipe.

In this way each of the three lines of the lead pipe that are simultaneously made by the lead press automatically fed. to and wound up by an individually regulated winding apparatus which will regulate its intermittent operation by the speed with which particular line the lead pipe is being formed by the press.

I claim:

1. In a lead pipe machine, the combination of a pipe making device. capable of making lead pipe, a spool over which. the pipe passes from the plunger when made, a winding apparatus for winding up the pipe, a controlling mechanism for said winding apparatus and operated by the weight of a predetermined length of the lead pipe formed by said pipe making device and stretched between said pipe making device and said winding apparatus.

In a machine for making lead pipe, the combination of a pipe making device capable of making lead pipe, a winding apparatus for winding up the pipe, a controlling mechanism for said winding apparatus and operated by the weight of a predeterminedlength of the lead pipe formed by said pipe making device and stretched between said pipe making device and said winding apparatus, said controlling mechanism being adapted to operate said winding mechanism intermittently to wind up the pipe made by said pipe makin device at intervals governed by the speed with which the lead pipe is formed by said lead making machine.

In a machine for making lead pipe, the combination of a pipe making device capable of making lead pipe, a winding apparatus for winding up the pipe, said means operating to make the pipe continuously and wind up the pipe intermittently, said making and winding apparatus being spaced apart to permit the pipe spanning the interval to sag, means to cause the winding apparatus to start to wind up the pipe when the pipe sags beyond a certain amount and means to stop the winding apparatus when the pipe sags less than a certain amount.

4. The combination of a pipe feeding device and a pipe winding device suitably spaced apart to permit the pipe to span the interval and sag between them, means to cause the winding apparatus to start to wind up the pipe when the pipe sags beyond a certain amount and means to stop the winding apparatus when the pipe sags less than a certain amount.

A pipe winding device comprising a spool and hollow shaft on which said spool is mounted and with which it rotates to wind up the pipe, means for connecting the end of the lead pipe to the hollow shaft with an airtight joint to keep the lead pipe under pressure as it is being wound up on the spool, a stationary air pipe, a swivel joint with which said hollow shaft is connected to the stationary air pipe.

6. A pipe winding device comprising a spool on which the pipe is wound, means for filling the pipe with compressed air a fter the pipe is formed and while it is being wound on said spool.

T. A machine for making pipe and winding it on a spool comprising means for rotating said spool and means to keep the pipe filled with compressed air at a pressure that will not distort the pipe but will indicate when escaping from the pipe any flaws or pinholes in the pipe thru which the air escapes while it is being made and wound on the spool.

8. The combination of a pipe feeding device and a pipe winding device suitably spaced apart to permit the pipe to span the interval and sag between them, a tilting switch that tilts with the sag in the wire. a circuit and a motor controlled by said switch, said switch operating to close the circuit and drive the motor when the wire has sagged a certain amount, said motor driving the winding apparatus.

9. The combination of a pipe feeding device and a pipe winding device suitably spaced apart to permit the pipe to span the interval and sag between them, a tilting switch that tilts with the sag in the wire, a circuit and a motor controlled by said switch, said switch operating to close the circuit and drive the motor when the wire has sagged a certain amount, said motor driving the winding apparatus, said switch tilting in the other direction and breaking the circuit when the pipe sags less than a certain amount.

10. The combination of a pipe feeding device and a pipe winding device suitably spaced apart to permit the pipe to span the interval and sag between them, a swinging guide on the winding device through which the pipe passes, said guide being mounted to swing with the sag in said pipe, a motor to drive said winding apparatus, a switch to control the operation of said motor said switch being opened and closed by the swinging of said guide.

11. The combination of a pipe feeding device and a pipe winding device suitably spaced apart to permit the pipe to span the interval and sag between them. a swinging guide on the winding device throu h which the pipe passes, said guide being mounted to swing with the sag in said pipe, a motor to drive said winding apparatus, a switch to control the operation of said motor said switch being opened and closed by the swinging of said guide, and means for moving said guide and switch back and forth in front of said winding device.

12. The combination of a pipe feeding device and apipe winding device suitably spaced apart to permit the pipe to span the interval and sag between them, a swinging guide on the winding device through which the pipe passes said guide being mounted to swing with the sag in said pipe, a motor to drive said winding ap'naratus, a switch to control the operation of said motor said switch being opened and closed by the swinging of said guide, means for moving said guide and switch back and forth in front of said winding device, said switch being free to tilt independent of said guide. 10

In testimony whereof I affix my signa ture.

FRANK B. VEWELL. 

